Charles Dustin Coffin

Charles Dustin Coffin (September 10, 1804 – February 28, 1880) was an American lawyer, jurist, banker, and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1837 to 1839. A member of the Whig Party, he participated in the national legislative process during a significant period in American political development, representing the interests of his Ohio constituents in the Twenty-fifth Congress.

Coffin was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on September 10, 1804. He attended the public schools in his native town before moving with his parents to New Lisbon, Ohio. In New Lisbon he pursued legal studies, preparing for a professional career in the law at a time when Ohio was still a relatively young state on the western frontier of the nation.

In September 1823 Coffin was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in New Lisbon, Ohio. His abilities and growing reputation in the community led to his appointment as clerk of the courts of Columbiana County in 1828, an important administrative and legal position that placed him at the center of county judicial affairs. Through this work he gained practical experience in court procedure and local governance, which would later inform his legislative and judicial service.

Coffin entered national politics as a member of the Whig Party, which opposed the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic successors. He was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Representative Andrew W. Loomis. Coffin served in the U.S. House of Representatives from December 20, 1837, to March 3, 1839, completing one full term. During this time he contributed to the legislative process in a period marked by debates over economic policy and the role of the federal government. He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1838, thereby limiting his congressional career to a single term.

After leaving Congress, Coffin resumed the practice of law and expanded his professional activities into banking. He became president of the Columbiana Bank of New Lisbon, reflecting his prominence in local financial and civic affairs. In 1842 he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, which was emerging as a major commercial and legal center in the state, and there he continued his legal practice, establishing himself within the city’s professional community.

Coffin’s judicial career began in Cincinnati, where he was elected judge of the superior court in 1845. He served on that court for seven years, presiding over a range of civil and criminal matters in one of Ohio’s most important urban jurisdictions. His judicial service was later renewed when he was appointed to the same position by Ohio Governor William Dennison in 1861, underscoring the continued confidence placed in his legal judgment and experience during a period that coincided with the early years of the Civil War.

Charles Dustin Coffin spent the remainder of his life in Cincinnati, remaining identified with the city’s legal and civic life. He died in Cincinnati on February 28, 1880. His remains were interred in Spring Grove Cemetery, the city’s principal burial ground, where many of Ohio’s leading political and professional figures of the nineteenth century are buried.